This post is sponsored by Wish Farms in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Recently I had the opportunity to go just outside of Lakeland, Florida with Wish Farms to visit their organic blueberry farm, Misty Organics, and learn more about the process of growing blueberries. We also got to see a packing plant and exactly how they go from farm to table, which was SO cool. We also ate at some delicious local restaurants who all used Wish Farms blueberries in special meals made for our group. Everything was so delicious and fun! It really got me in the mood to do more meals with blueberries. Since it’s getting HOT here in Florida I decided to create my own Blueberry protein smoothie that I could have before or after a hard workout. It’s super simple and fast to make with just a handful of ingredients. Great for busy on the go parents (or your kids, too!)

But first let’s back up so you can see exactly where these delicious blueberries come from. We visited Misty Organics, Wish Farm’s organic blueberry farm, and got to see the cool way they pot the blueberry plants and use tunnels to control the temperature of the plants.

We learned that blueberries like water but don’t like to “keep their feet wet”, so the pots drain to help keep that from happening. I also learned that there are so many different varieties of blueberries. I had NO idea there was more than one. We got to taste several different varieties, and I could definitely tell a difference.

We also learned that NOW is the time to buy Wish Farms southeast blueberries! This covers Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

After being treated to yogurt and blueberry parfaits (of course!) we headed over to the packaging plant to see how the berries go from farm to packages to the store.

It was so cool to see the blueberries go up on a huge conveyor belt, get sorted by machine and by hand, and then weighed and put into packages. It truly is a very efficient process and I could have watched all day!

It was a great, eye opening trip that made me want to support these farmers and make even MORE things with blueberries! As a busy mom on the go I don’t have time for elaborate recipes, so this super easy smoothie recipe is not only fast to make, but you can take your smoothie with you anywhere.

It’s time for another Tampa Tuesday post! As stated when I started these, not all posts would be specifically about Tampa, but would include things I do and experience in the surrounding areas. Today is one of those days, as I talk to you about a special Cabot Cheese event I attended in Orlando a couple of weeks ago. When I arrived at the beautiful East End Market in Orlando and headed upstairs to the APEX room, I was greeted and immediately pointed towards a delicious looking create your own parfait bar, Olde Hearth Bread Company muffins, Lineage Coffee Roasting coffee, Divine Chocolate, Florida Milk, and all the Cabot cheese I could eat. Yes please!

We ate breakfast, got to know each other, and just had a nice relaxing few minutes to hang out before we were introduced to some of the Cabot team.

One of my favorite things we discussed was the department of gratitude. Did you know that Cabot uses reward programs to thank those that do goof. You can log your volunteer time for different events . It’s pretty cool!

We then got to meet our awesome demo chef for the day, Jimmy. I particularly liked him because he grew up in Mississippi. We all huddled into the kitchen and watched him make some delicious food! First up was cornbread. Now we are speaking my language! This southern girl was fascinated by the fact he put sweet potatoes in the cornbread! Of course we all got to taste before moving on to the next thing.

Anyone who knows me well knows that mac and cheese is one of my favorite things ever. This one definitely did not disappoint. You can check out the recipe here.

Jimmy also showed us how to make taco shells out of cheese. I will for sure be trying this out. They were so easy to do and delicious. I may have eaten a shell by itself. Don’t judge me.

After all the cooking (well, Jimmy cooking!) we did a little self care with Candace. She talked to us about stretching, and taking time for ourselves. She knows we are on the computer a lot as bloggers, and we need to MOVE! So we did just that with these fun drumsticks. Candace is so passionate about healthy living, it was fun to hear a like minded fitness lover talk to us!

Soon it was time for lunch, which was such a treat. As if we hadn’t eaten enough already, we were brought outside to enjoy the courtyard and beautifully decorated tables.

I may have found a new favorite thing: Lemonade with lavender. It was so light and refreshing, I may have had two glasses.

The rest of the food did not disappoint either, and hit the spot! We had grilled cheese sandwiches by La Femme du Fromage made with Cabot cheese of course, Houndstooth Sauce Company’s tomato basil soup, salad with apple slices, and the Skyebird lavender lemonade.

We even were “treated” to an adorable and rich dessert from Gideon’s Bakehouse: Pistachio Toffee Dark Chocolate cookies. So amazing. Then we headed back inside for our competition.

My friends know I am one of the most competitive people alive, and so of course this was no exception. We were divided into teams (my team was called “seriously sharp”,) and given a basket full of goodies and told to create a cheeseboard. The best board would win a prize, so we went straight to work. (We only had 30 minutes!) We decided on a Valentine’s Day theme and just kind of went with it. I may or may not have used my fingernails to cut out hearts from cheese. It was totally worth it, because…we won! Isn’t our board beautiful?!?

The winning team with Candace.

We all said our goodbyes and were given a great goody bag (as well as one to pass on to someone else). It was overall a great day, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn more about Cabot, meet amazing bloggers, and just generally connect with more people in my new state. A huge thank you to Cabot, Isabel and Sunday Supper, and everyone else who helped with the event!

Cabot, being so generous, offered to host a giveaway on my blog! One lucky reader will receive this box as seen below. This is their legacy gift box, and it’s amazing! To enter, please follow the instructions below. Winner will be selected Monday March 20th and announced on the blog next Tuesday. Good luck!

Hey friends! Today I wanted to share something a little different. I haven’t done a recipe in awhile, but this one I really wanted to share. I have been counting macros, and realized I have a hard time getting in protein. I don’t like to eat eggs by themselves, so I finally found an easy way to get in a little more protein by making egg muffins.

They are super simple to make, here are the ingredients:

– 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese (shredded)

– One carton of egg whites

-One bag of Birds Eye protein southwest blend from the freezer aisle

DIRECTIONS:

-spray bottom of a 12 cup muffin tin

-preheat oven to 350

-warm up protein blend in the microwave for 4 minutes

– spoon the blend into the cups evenly

-distribute cheese evenly into the 12 cups

-fill the cups with a carton of egg whites, use the whole carton

-Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

You could really use any veggie blend from the freezer aisle at the grocery store with this recipe, but I prefer the southwest blend because it has more protein, and it has a little kick to it which makes the muffin not taste to much like eggs.

I can eat two or three egg muffins at a time, so it’s a great protein source! Also, you can put them in a bag and freeze them, and pop in the microwave for a minute or so for an on the go breakfast with staying power. Here are the nutrition facts per muffin:

Calories: 83

Protein: 7.1 grams

Fat: 1.5 grams

Carbs: 9.5 grams

Enjoy! I would love to hear if you decide to make these, or what other blends/veggies you use instead.

Confession: I am not much of a cook. I work a lot, and by the end of the day, I usually just throw together whatever is the easiest, quickest thing I can make. However, there is one exception to this, and that is baking around the holidays where I love to spread cookie joy! I grew up making Christmas cookies with my family, and hope to continue the tradition with Emma Kate.

Baked goods (cookies more specifically!) make great gifts as well, and I have made them many times as Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Krusteaz brand cookie mixes are not something I have used before, but when I saw all the delicious flavors, I knew I had to try them! I made some of the Snickerdoodle cookies for Thanksgiving, and then decided to make the butter vanilla sugar as gifts for some sweet friends. I knew I wanted to put icing on them, so I knew the butter vanilla sugar would be my best bet for decorating with red and green icing and sprinkles.

I used the recipe on the back of the box for the cookies, and for the icing I used a tried and true simple recipe:

1 cup powdered sugar

2.5 tablespoons 2% milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

5 drops of neon green food coloring

-Stir until smooth, and decorate!

I love wrapping gifts, and knew I wanted a cute and fun way to package my cookie creations. Zazzle has some adorable options and I ended up getting some cute little boxes, stickers, and personalized name tags.

I love how everything turned out, and I can’t wait to spread cookie joy with my very sweet and deserving friends.

If you are looking for more baking and gifting tips and Krusteaz prizes, a #SpreadCookieJoy Twitter Party will be held on December 14thfrom 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm ET. I hope you will come!

The kind people at Krusteaz have offered a GIVEAWAY for one THLG reader so you can #SpreadCookieJoy with your friends, family, or neighbors. Giveaway includes everything below EXCEPT for the ball jar, so you would get: two boxes of the following mixes: Shortbread, Gingerbread, Snickerdoodle, Butter Vanilla Sugar and Oatmeal Scotchie; an apron, tote bag, cookie cutters and frosting pen.

To enter, simply follow the Rafflecoptor instructions below. Good luck!

Ah, football season. I have waited six long months for you to come back! One thing I was NOT looking forward to though was being tempted by all of the unhealthy snacks that come along with watching football. I have really been trying to watch the unhealthy snacking while in front of the TV. I hate feeling sluggish the next day when I am working out or running because I ate poorly the night before. I knew I needed a challenge to help me get through it, so enter #MeatlessMondayNight!

While I was trying to think of something I could snack on during a football game that was semi healthy and meatless, I knew one of my main problems would be finding something I could eat “mindlessly”. You know how it goes. You are watching the big game and your hand is constantly in the chip bowl and you don’t even realize it. Or, your team goes into overtime and you keep nervously taking sips of that sugary margarita because you don’t know what else to do. I happened to look at the back of a carton of Silk almond milk, and that’s when it hit me…a smoothie!

Not only are smoothies meatless (ew that would be weird) and yummy, but it’s something I can mindlessly sip on during a game without the guilt. I decided to whip up one of my favorites instead of a big bowl of cheesy and bacon dip like I normally would make. Check out the recipe below:

Meatless Monday Fruit and Protein Smoothie:

1.5 cups of almond milk

1 cup blueberries

half of a banana

sprinkle of cinnamon

scoop of vanilla protein powder

handful of baby spinach

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Blend well and enjoy!

This smoothie recipe is also great fuel pre workout as well, I love it! Silk is lactose free, plant based, and contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors.

Hits the spot! I also have recently been thinking a lot more about milk because Emma Kate is ONE today! How crazy is that? I know she will be needing some good whole milk in her diet, and we love Horizon Organic whole milk! If you aren’t an almond milk fan, you can add this to your smoothie instead. Yum!

Be sure to check out Silk’s website for tips and recipes for your #MeatlessMondayNight, and to win a giveaway! I hope you will join me! Have fun watching the big game!

QOTD: What is your favorite meatless football watching snack?

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Before I get started on the recipe I want to say a huge hello to all of Heather’s readers, and a big thank you to Heather for the opportunity to share a guest post with y’all!

Heather and I have been “blogger friends” for a couple of years. We finally got to meet at runDisney’s 2013 Tower of Terror 10 Miler.

I blog about weight loss and running (among other things) at greaterfitness.wordpress.com Stop by the blog or say hello to me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! My username is @greaterfitness

An old friend of mine actually shared this recipe with me a few years ago. I cook it pretty frequently because it is now a favorite of mine, and it is super easy and not too bad for you. Because of its simplicity, this recipe is definitely one you can get your kids involved with. The leftovers are great as well! I suggest using any leftover chicken to toss in a salad or thinly slice the chicken and put it on a sandwich. The best part about this recipe is that it only requires two ingredients that you probably always have in your kitchen:

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the broth and ½ cup of honey. In an oven-safe dish, combine the remaining ½ cup of honey and 1 cup of broth. Stir both.

Set the saucepan aside. This will later become a sauce. Place chicken breasts or tenders in the oven-safe dish with the honey and broth mixture. This will cook in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes. You’ll know it is done when the chicken has a tender, white center. Once the chicken is done cooking, let it cool. While it is cooling, put the saucepan containing the remaining honey and broth mixture on medium heat. Cook until it just begins to boil and then back the heat down to simmer. Once you are ready to serve the chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken. This keeps the chicken very moist and gives additional flavor.

I actually prepared the side of roasted potatoes before the chicken. They will cook at the same temperature, but will need an additional 15 minutes. I will usually get them ready and in the oven then start to prepare the chicken. Once the chicken is ready to go in the oven the potatoes have already been cooking for the extra time they require. This way both foods are done at the exact same time. You can use any type of potato that you like.

Simply clean the potatoes, cut into small bite-size pieces (I leave the skin on for extra flavor) and spread onto a baking/roasting pan. Liberally coat them with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Put them in the oven and you are all set!

Usually I serve the chicken and potatoes with a salad. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any lettuce when I made this recipe last week so I steamed some green beans as a substitute.

This meal is so yummy yet so simple to make. I hope that you give it a try and like it just as much as my family does!

Hey everyone! Happy holiday weekend! I know a lot of people are off work today (sadly I am not one of them), but I just waned to hop on and wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July. I will be running my virtual race this weekend and reporting back on that next week, and on Sunday we head to Destin!

Don’t worry, I will be sharing lots of photos and such (make sure you are following me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and the newest, PERISCOPE!) I am @HeathersLG. I plan to do some live broadcasting from the beach yall!

Check out my 2013 4th of July recap here, and my 2013 4th of July recap here. I also have two 2011 recaps here and here. Clearly I enjoy being festive and celebrating holidays!

Today is a recipe/guest post from Lesley. Please enjoy while I am prepping for the Tower of Terror 10 miler that is tonight!

A while back, my friend shared with me a recipe that I really love to make, and my husband and I snack on these often. I call them Easy Energy Bites, and they are a great little “pick-me up” if you need a boost on a rough day or right before a run/workout.

You can easily swap out some of the ingredients in this recipe for others that you might like. Or feel free to add additional ingredients. I often add peanut butter or chopped nuts, although neither one are in the original recipe. Don’t like coconut? Leave it out! It really is a simple, versatile recipe.

1 cup oatmeal

½ cup honey

1 cup shredded coconut

½ cup ground flax seed

½ cup chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract (only use real-not imitation)

Measure each ingredient and pour into mixing bowl. I measure the dry ingredients first, otherwise the honey will cause your dry ingredients to stick to your measuring cup if you measure the honey first.

Mix all of the ingredients together. The mixture may seem a little dry but this is ok.

Once the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes. This will help the ingredients combine and stick together.

After the mixture has refrigerated for at least 30 minutes, pinch off some of the mixture, and roll it in the palm of your hand, creating a 1 inch ball.

This is essentially a pre-exercise superfood. The flaxseed provides a strong dose of dietary fiber, the honey and chocolate gives you some readily bioavailable sugars, and the oatmeal provides complex carbohydrates that increase energy without spiking your blood sugar levels.

Oh, and they are DELICIOUS.

Looking for other yummy recipes, exercise tips, and race reviews? Follow my blog at greaterfitness.wordpress.com. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram-username @greaterfitness.

There are times when I crave something that doesn’t exist. Sometimes a version of it exists but it’s still not exactly what I have a taste for. Then I have no choice but to try to develop a recipe for it. That’s exactly how my Grilled Drunken Barbeque Shrimp came into being. While Heather’s off enjoying some major fun in the sun, I wanted to share this with you just in time for grilling season. I’ll have the complete recipe at the end.

There are really only two tricks to this recipe. Number one, use good, quality shrimp.

I live in Tennessee, about as far from an ocean as possible so I don’t have access to fresh shrimp. I did get the best thing I could find, and these guys are colossal!

Next, the thing that really makes these shrimp fab is the sauce. You’ll want to make it an hour or so before you add the shrimp. Otherwise, if you add the shrimp to the heated sauce, you’ll end up boiling them, and grilled is what we are going for here, not boiled.

About the sauce, as you are heating it, be careful not to let it boil over. I really just heat it until the butter is melted and the beer is incorporated well.

Don’t be squeamish about the whole stick of butter! Remember, this is more of a marinade and most of it will end up getting tossed anyway. The same holds true for the beer. Even though you won’t cook the sauce long enough for the beer to evaporate, once you grill the shrimp, there will be no alcohol left. Even the little ones can eat them. You will also notice I have cayenne pepper in the recipe. It’s not really enough to make them too spicy, but it does add a slight kick. It can be omitted if you want zero heat. If you want more, add more. I’ve also used Tobasco sauce before so whatever heat source you like will be just fine. You will also notice that this sauce recipe works for 1-4 pounds of shrimp. It works for 4 pounds, and it’s just easier for me to make the whole thing even for just 1 pound.

I also sprinkle my shrimp with salt and pepper and let them sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes before adding the sauce. If you add the sauce right after seasoning, the salt and pepper will just sort of wash off of the shrimp and become a part of the sauce. Once I add the sauce, I let them bathe in it for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Any more than that will completely overwhelm the shrimp, and sauce is all you’ll taste. Since there’s lemon juice in the sauce, you also run the risk of making the shrimp mushy if you let them sit too long.

Once you are ready to grill, make sure your grill is at the right temp. They are going to go FAST! About the time you have them all on there, it’s going to be time to turn them.

What you are looking for is for them to start curling (yes, I know they are already curled, but they will curl even tighter once they start cooking) and for the edges to start turning opaque. About 1-3 minutes is all this is going to take. Then you just flip and repeat.

These are best served hot right off the grill. I don’t anticipate that being a problem because every time I’ve made them, they’ve been eaten about as quickly as I can get them off. Enjoy!

Grilled Drunken Barbeque Shrimp

Ingredients

1-4 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 17.5 oz. bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce

1 12 oz. bottle of beer

1 stick of butter

Juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce, heat the barbeque sauce, beer, and butter just until the butter is melted and the beer is incorporated. Add the cayenne pepper and lemon juice and let the sauce come to room temperature.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Then add the cooled sauce and let it marinate for another 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat your grill to 300-350 degrees and grill the shrimp for 1-3 minutes per side.

You can also reserve some of the sauce before you add the shrimp, reduce it by half (just keep cooking it in the pot until you have half the liquid you started with), and use it as a dipping sauce or drizzle over the cooked shrimp if you want even more sauciness on your shrimp.

So pull up a lounge chair, crack open your favorite beverage, throw these shrimp on the grill, and maybe you, too, can at least feel like you’re on vacation!

Hi, my name is Stephanie and I blog at Food and Fitness 4 Real. As a busy working mom with two young kids, I blog about trying to balance real life with healthy living while encouraging my family to eat real food! This week I am excited that I am able to guest post for Heather.

Today I am going to share my recipe for Pumpkin Protein Pancakes with you. When I started training for my first half marathon with Team in Training last spring, we would often have pancakes as our post-run meal. While in training, I learned that after long training runs it is important to have a recovery meal that includes protein, carbs and fat. This pancake recipe combines vanilla protein powder, pumpkin puree and chopped walnuts for a filling and delicious breakfast. It is lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and can be topped with pecans, yogurt, fruit or agave.

The batter for these pancakes can be mixed the night before your long run and stored in the refrigerator. Once you get back from your training run, just stir it a few times while you heat up your griddle or pan the cook as instructed below.

Every Sunday morning, I make pancakes for my family before we go to church. Unfortunately, my kids only want me to make PLAIN pancakes and I have yet to entice them with my Dutch apple pancakes, peach pancakes or coconut-pineapple pancake stackers. This pumpkin pancake recipe makes two servings, so I end up eating one serving by myself and freezing the second serving for later in the week.

Although I am not currently training for a long distance race, I still crave pumpkin pancakes this time of year. You should whip up a batch of these pancakes this weekend and share them with your family. Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Servings: 2 (four pancakes each)

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose (or whole wheat) flour

1/4 cup vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or agave or honey)

1/2 cup almond milk (or low fat milk)

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

*If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Coat your cooking surface with non-stick spray. Spoon batter onto a hot griddle or pan and spread into a circle (about 4 inches across). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until edges are set and bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Continue with the remaining batter until all pancakes are cooked. (Batter makes about 8 medium size pancakes).

Top pancakes with 1 tablespoon chopped pecans and agave or maple syrup.

QOTD: Do you like Pumpkin? What is your favorite pumpkin flavored food?

Hi! I am Heather Montgomery, formerly known as Running With Sass®, a 32 year old living in Tampa, Florida with my husband and 3.5 year old daughter. I’m just a regular girl who likes to run, travel, go to Disney World, and eat junk food.
Thank you for visiting my blog! Feel free to contact me, (or for PR inquiries or press trip invites) at [email protected]